Thanks guys. The SC image is my favorite too-the NMM image I didn't even originally turn over to them-it was in my "almost but no cigar" category. But they know me and know I hold images back. There were three other images that from my POV were stronger images, BUT perhaps not better covers by their criteria with places for subtitles, elements that lead your eye into the picture etc.

Having two covers out there is powerful PR-12 years since I last did that last. New Mexico Magazine is a much larger magazine with significant more circulation & better fees. That was an idea I came up with and submitted with a writer friend. It gets to virtually everyone I know and work with. It is remendous PR-my 11th or 12th cover with them since like 1986. The SC article was an assignment (with the same writer) from the magazine and hits my bread and butter clientele-architects. It is also great pr-the best regional advertising I do for my commercial work.

The SC image was the last shot of the day (almost too dark) we were running to catch the last light-shot with a bit of halogin fill in the interior and exterior. Pretty straight forward really. The biggest accomplishment was just getting it before the sky light died-I don't shoot exteriors once the sky is pitch black-to harsh.

The SC image was the last shot of the day (almost too dark) we were running to catch the last light-shot with a bit of halogin fill in the interior and exterior. Pretty straight forward really. The biggest accomplishment was just getting it before the sky light died-I don't shoot exteriors once the sky is pitch black-to harsh.

I think most of the "twilight" exteriors I see are shot about 20 minutes too late, and they end up being reverse silhouettes of windows. Dawn twi's are even harder to time properly.

I think most of the "twilight" exteriors I see are shot about 20 minutes too late, and they end up being reverse silhouettes of windows. Dawn twi's are even harder to time properly.

Agreed. Given the time we set up early and wait for the perfect balance-a little earlier than this but we were doing another twilight at that time looking the same direction but on the opposite side of the house.

nice to see a bonnet (hood for new world english speakers) without the edge of a floating ceiling or the return of the cove diagonally across it which is just lazy lighting, it's domed too so will be seeing a big area.

nice to see a bonnet (hood for new world english speakers) without the edge of a floating ceiling or the return of the cove diagonally across it which is just lazy lighting, it's domed too so will be seeing a big area.

I agree, as I recall Simon works in what we call in the US, an eggshell cove. That's a space where the cyc's radius is not only at the floor but at the ceiling too, with the ceiling structure covered with drywall. I've built both styles (the other an open ceiling with moveable flying flats) and prefer the flying flat approach, it allows us to be more precise with the light. There are tradeoffs with both approaches though and just a matter of preference. The attached shot, taken for Cadillac, is a similar angle taken recently. Jim

As long as its grey not white :-) as you know it's a whole lot easier to keep contrast than when it's white.Just as I was in a position to start shooting tests of cars CGI and a recession hit so I took the decision not to go down that route even though I was lighting cars for other photographers.I learnt a hell of a lot about light in a very short time and I still think that if you can light a car and get your head round all those issues of a shiny thing in a white room you can light just about anything, the ability to look at a surface and instinctively know what part of the studio it's 'seeing' and how the light is going to play on it (and what other parts of the car it affects and looks wrong)I don't think non-car photographers really have any idea what goes into good car lighting and would be shocked at how long it takes even if you work quickly.

I recently tried a few different shades of floor paint, white, gray and black. It had been so long since I'd painted my studio black (existing paint was from 2008) that when I ordered more I found that the company had gone out of business. Anyways, either white or gray works well, gray if you want a bit more contrast (just the floor), if you were to paint the whole stage gray it's no different than exposing longer with a white stage (if you're in an eggshell cove). Using flying flats is what allows me to light with any contrast range I'd like and with the advantage of PS voodoo the car will look great almost regardless of lighting method. My website's Advertising>Recent Work has more of the Cadillac images and other shots taken in the studio (although some placed in location backgrounds). Attached are a couple views of my studio illustrating flying flats and strip lights. Jim

I recently tried a few different shades of floor paint, white, gray and black. It had been so long since I'd painted my studio black (existing paint was from 2008) that when I ordered more I found that the company had gone out of business. Anyways, either white or gray works well, gray if you want a bit more contrast (just the floor), if you were to paint the whole stage gray it's no different than exposing longer with a white stage (if you're in an eggshell cove). Using flying flats is what allows me to light with any contrast range I'd like and with the advantage of PS voodoo the car will look great almost regardless of lighting method. My website's Advertising>Recent Work has more of the Cadillac images and other shots taken in the studio (although some placed in location backgrounds). Attached are a couple views of my studio illustrating flying flats and strip lights. Jim

Back when I was working at Starcraft and shooting bunches of conversion vans and trucks I found I liked a gray cyc...floor and ceiling as well as rolling and overhead flats. I always though it was muhc easier to get gradations on Gray then White and easier to hide the edges of the flats and wall in the reflections.

This was back in the large format/tranny film days and at the very beginning of electronic retouching...meaning out of our budget range. I almost always used a small hard light kicker on both sides of the vehicle. Everything had full body graphics of some sort and the hard light made them pop. I won't talk about masking off the graphics and dull spraying each of them sometimes

I recently tried a few different shades of floor paint, white, gray and black. It had been so long since I'd painted my studio black (existing paint was from 2008) that when I ordered more I found that the company had gone out of business. Anyways, either white or gray works well, gray if you want a bit more contrast (just the floor), if you were to paint the whole stage gray it's no different than exposing longer with a white stage (if you're in an eggshell cove). Using flying flats is what allows me to light with any contrast range I'd like and with the advantage of PS voodoo the car will look great almost regardless of lighting method. My website's Advertising>Recent Work has more of the Cadillac images and other shots taken in the studio (although some placed in location backgrounds). Attached are a couple views of my studio illustrating flying flats and strip lights. Jim

Jim, are you using that second shot as a promo piece for yourself? Looks like a very well planned out and set up image of your studio; too good for just a quick shot to us your space.

"Photography is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent moving furniture." Arnold Newman“Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” William Faulkner

"Photography is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent moving furniture." Arnold Newman“Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” William Faulkner